


Lightmark

by consumptive_sphinx



Category: The Lord of the Rings- All Media Types
Genre: College AU, Dryad AU, Gen, Modern AU, Modern Fantasy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5275955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/consumptive_sphinx/pseuds/consumptive_sphinx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Elladan's going to be home for Lightmark.</p><p>He's been away the whole week for the last time two years, and the celebrations at his college are nice but it isn't like home. The basics are the same, sure — candles in the windows, lots of food — but only because otherwise it wouldn't be Lightmark. It isn't quite the difference between a paintball fight and Diwali, but Elladan can't think of a better comparison.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegreatpumpkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegreatpumpkin/gifts).



> This was originally going to be for Christmas, but then I found out your birthday, so you're getting it now and something else in December. (I'm stuck as to what, please throw me a line here)

Elladan's going to be home for Lightmark. 

He's been away the whole week for the last time two years, and the celebrations at his college are nice but it isn't like home. The basics are the same, sure — candles in the windows, lots of food — but only because otherwise it wouldn't be Lightmark. It isn't quite the difference between a paintball fight and Diwali, but Elladan can't think of a better comparison. 

It's night when he gets out of the airport, takes a cab to the town square. Elladan travels light; he can walk home from there. He hasn't told his family yet, though Arwen likely knows — he wants it to be a surprise. 

In Fen Hollen it's the real deal. The whole town seems to glow. Most houses have the kind of fairy lights that run on electricity, but a few have actual fairies in the flowers. Strings of paper lanterns, the type he and Elrohir used to make in school, hang from the telephone lines. It's still two days before the festival starts, so nobody's hennaed yet, but when they are it'll glow golden. 

It's about a twenty minute walk home. It's 9 PM in December, but Elladan's been in Columbia for the last five months; he isn't cold. 

God, he misses his brother. Elrohir emailed him a few weeks ago, begged him to come home for Lightmark — at the time Elladan had thought it was impossible and told Elrohir that, but apparently Legolas's father has enough money to just get his son's boyfriend a round-trip ticket from New York to Nevada, no questions asked. Perks of dating distant relatives of the British Royal Family, it would seem. 

Their house is the most lit-up on the block, which is what happens when the youngest child is an illusionist. Elrohir's planted something white and glowing in the front yard; Elladan remembers helping him pick out the flowers but doesn't remember what they're called. More of the paper lanterns are strung between the houses, over the street and across the drveway. Sometimes Celebrían can get fairies to stay in the magnolia tree, but apparently not at the moment, since they're using electric fairy lights instead. 

Elladan forgot his key, so he knocks on the door instead. It's Elrohir who answers, his skin covered in ballpoint-pen renditions of constellations and the rose pink streak in his hair — to match Elladan's sky blue — faded to dawn. "Dany? You said you couldn't afford a plane ticket!"

"I couldn't, but apparently my boyfriend's father can —" Elrohir interrupts him by throwing his arms over Elladan's shoulders and pulling him inside. 

"Mom, Dad! Dany's home!"

It's great to be back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this one is actually for Christmas.

Sometimes, if Legolas is extremely lucky, he can see the Northern Lights on Lightmark. 

He's in the living room, leaning against the window. It faces north and stretches across the entire wall, so if there's an aurora there's no way he'll miss it. It's only the first night, so Legolas doesn't really expect there to be one, but every year he hopes. 

Thranduil has stayed in his room all night. 

Most families get together for Lightmark. Farther south it's apparently an outdoor festival, but not in Norway; Legolas knows that not everyone is as unbothered by cold as he is, but sometimes it still seems odd. 

Their version of Lightmark is just weird on all fronts, it seems. Thranduil very seldom interacts with Legolas much, and the Festival is no exception; Legolas does have other family but doesn't enjoy interacting with them. 

It's weird how few plants there are here. Legolas always keeps a few at Columbia, and his own room is full of them, but everywhere else in the flat is stone and glass and chrome and sometimes wood that's polished until it barely looks like wood anymore. Everything is greyscale and metals, none of the soft greens and golds Legolas usually surrounds himself with. 

It's not what he's used to. But his room faces east rather than north, and he wants to see the Lights. 

Thranduil would probably say that Legolas was being childish. Legolas no longer cares. 

 

His son is at the window, watching. 

Thranduil cannot bring himself to join him, much as he wants to. He never quite can interact meaningfully with his son, not since Her. 

Legolas looks just like her. He's got her magic too, surrounding himself with plants and growing things. When he took his first steps flowers sprang up from beneath him. 

Thranduil wants to go out to the living room and tell him so. 

But he can't. He never can. 

(maybe he will next year)

(he knows he won't)


End file.
